The Platte County Citizen

Anyone who travels in Platte City already knows the good news, but Highway 92 has fully reopened.

I have to admit, I felt the excitement of trying out the new intersections and briefly considered driving in circles for a few minutes to fully appreciate my newfound convenience. I’m not sure if I enjoyed the new routes simply out of appreciation after closures between Prairie View/Running Horse roads and Kentucky Avenue during the previous six months or because I was already convinced of the positive impact on traffic.

Drivers will have to adjust to the new patterns, so I’m pretty sure we haven’t seen the full benefits, yet.

This long-anticipated project led to some obvious frustrations during construction, but City of Platte City officials always considered the two-part plan vital to growth. The second entrance/exit from QuikTrip and McDonald’s created a new city road and outlet for those wanting to avoid congestion on Prairie View Road. The fixes to Highway 92 leveled out an intersection and took away the unneeded super-elevation that veterans of Platte City driving know better as the NASCAR-like curve.

I guess I might miss that a little bit.

Remember, construction on Highway 92 has simply paused.The Missouri Department of Transportation has plans to resurface all of 92. That has started east of Platte City with the project set to hit our area some time in 2017.

We will keep you updated.

***

In case you hadn’t heard, we have an election next week. It’s kind of a big deal from what I can gather.

We’ve offered previews of the Mid-Continent Public Library’s tax proposal (last week’s issue) and the Platte County Commission races (see today’s front page). I wish we had more time to break down all of the items that affect you, but we simply don’t have the staff to conquer all of the issues and races that go beyond the local level.

As you can see from the list just to the left of this space, there are a lot of votes to be cast. I also would never want the local issues to receive less attention. You can’t get that info on the candidates and questions anywhere else, but other entities might offer you insight into the more publicized statewide or regional races.

The MCPL issue has generated a lot of talk, and right fully so.

Tax increases have been a tough sell in Platte County since the earlier part of this century, and I expect that to be no different. I understand the case of the library for needing to update the buildings and funding for operations.

However, the legal ramifications of asking for money to build/renovate facilities with no sunset does interest me.

Keep it in mind when you go to the polls. At some point, those costs will be paid off, so what becomes of the full tax increase then?

According to an MCPL official, the Hancock Amendment could start rolling back the 8-cent increase immediately. In addition, 10-year capital improvement plan will change buildings and add others that will require increased operation costs.

The improvement portion could also go to restart maintenance on the aging buildings at the end of what is a fairly lengthy period of construction and renovation.

***

Even for you non-sport fans, I would suggest taking a look at B1 to read the story of Platte County sophomore cross country runner Jessica Clark.

Over the weekend, Clark collapsed near the end of the Class 4 Sectional 4 race and struggled to regain her footing. Her shot at a state berth was slipping away as she got up and fell twice more.

Eventually, Clark walked across the finish line and grabbed one of the last state spots.

Watching the scene unfold was difficult, especially taking the pictures. However, the images end up being a great example of not giving up and finishing what you started.

Clark received treatment and was up on her feet a short while after the race, exhausted but happy with the results. Hopefully, her state race isn’t nearly as eventful this weekend in Jefferson City, Mo.

Ross Martin is publisher of The Citizen. He may be reached via email at editor@plattecountycitizen.com. Follow him on Twitter: @Citizen_Ross.